Garvan Woodland Gardens
Encyclopedia
Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre (850,000 m²) botanical garden
located at 550 Arkridge Road approximately 6 miles from Hot Springs National Park
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
, USA
. It is owned by the University of Arkansas
and open every day (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and the month of January) for a fee.
The Gardens are situated on a woodland peninsula with 4.5 miles (7 km) of shoreline on ake Hamilton, Arkansas|Lake Hamilton. The Gardens feature rocky inclines reminiscent of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains
, floral landscapes, streams, and waterfalls in a natural woodland setting, plus a Japanese Garden with Japanese maples and tree peonies, a conifer border, and various flower and rock gardens. Its collections display hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, including camellia
s, magnolia
s, rose
s, and over 160 different types of azalea
s.
The Gardens was started by Verna Cook Garvan, daughter of Arthur B. and Louise Cook of Malvern, Arkansas
. Mr. Cook operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Co. and the Malvern Brick and Tile Company until his death in 1934. Shortly afterward, Mrs. Garvan assumed control as one of the first female CEO's of a major southern manufacturing business and served in that capacity until her retirement in the 1970s. The garden site was purchased in the 1920s after a clear-cut in about 1915. In 1956, Mrs. Garvan began to develop it as a garden and over the next forty years planted thousands of specimens. Upon her death, Mrs. Garvan left the property to the Department of Landscape Architecture through the University of Arkansas Foundation.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
located at 550 Arkridge Road approximately 6 miles from Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs National Park
Established from Hot Springs Reservation, Hot Springs National Park is a United States National Park in central Arkansas adjacent to the city of Hot Springs. Hot Springs Reservation was initially created by an act of the United States Congress on April 20, 1832, and the area was made a national...
in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
and open every day (except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and the month of January) for a fee.
The Gardens are situated on a woodland peninsula with 4.5 miles (7 km) of shoreline on ake Hamilton, Arkansas|Lake Hamilton. The Gardens feature rocky inclines reminiscent of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains
Ouachita Mountains
The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The range's subterranean roots may extend as far as central Texas, or beyond it to the current location of the Marathon Uplift. Along with the Ozark Mountains, the Ouachita Mountains form the U.S...
, floral landscapes, streams, and waterfalls in a natural woodland setting, plus a Japanese Garden with Japanese maples and tree peonies, a conifer border, and various flower and rock gardens. Its collections display hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, including camellia
Camellia
Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s, magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s, rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s, and over 160 different types of azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s.
The Gardens was started by Verna Cook Garvan, daughter of Arthur B. and Louise Cook of Malvern, Arkansas
Malvern, Arkansas
Malvern is the county seat of Hot Spring County, Arkansas. The city had a population of 10,318 at the time of the 2010 census and is also called the "Brick Capital of the World" because of the three Acme Brick plants in the area...
. Mr. Cook operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Co. and the Malvern Brick and Tile Company until his death in 1934. Shortly afterward, Mrs. Garvan assumed control as one of the first female CEO's of a major southern manufacturing business and served in that capacity until her retirement in the 1970s. The garden site was purchased in the 1920s after a clear-cut in about 1915. In 1956, Mrs. Garvan began to develop it as a garden and over the next forty years planted thousands of specimens. Upon her death, Mrs. Garvan left the property to the Department of Landscape Architecture through the University of Arkansas Foundation.